Perla

Perla is a fine-grained, cream-coloured calcareous sandstone with a “perlatto” look. Its petrographic study classifies it as a calcarenite, the name given to a rock made of sand-sized calcareous grains. It comes from Rubio Natural Stone's own quarry, where it is extracted in large blocks.

The Perla data sheet gives 12.6% open porosity, a measure of the volume of voids that water can reach; water absorption does not appear on it. After 56 freeze-thaw cycles, flexural strength is 7.9 MPa, from a starting 8.5 MPa; it is measured in megapascals, and a higher figure means the stone takes more load.

We recommend Perla for facades, large paved areas, setts, interiors and restoration. The facade of the ME Barcelona hotel (2021) is bush-hammered Perla in large-format pieces, and the 2026 catalogue shows a pool coping in this stone. For slip resistance, the data sheet gives 94 dry and 78 wet in the pendulum test, where a higher figure means more grip.

The 2026 catalogue lists ten finishes for Perla: sawn, honed, sandblasted, bush-hammered (also fine and coarse), brushed, chiselled, split and the Rubio's Special family. Bush-hammered is the finish documented on site, on the facade of the ME Barcelona hotel. Perla is not flamed: that finish is listed only for Violet and Northcliff Blue.

Perla is offered as an alternative to two yorkstones, Crosland Hill and Woodkirk, for their buff and cream tones, and to Cotswold stone for its creams. Each comparison page includes the test data of the stones.

• Crosland Hill Yorkstone →
• Woodkirk yorkstone →
• Cotswold stone →

You can request the data sheet with the “Download data sheet” button on this page. To ask for a sample of Perla, write to us through the contact form and tell us the finish you are interested in and the intended use.

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